Ortega Wins, Carter Happy

In a stunning political turn-around, former Communist leader Daniel Ortega has won control of Nicaragua again:

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Overcoming a concerted U.S. drive to thwart his comeback, former Marxist revolutionary Daniel Ortega on Monday appeared headed to a clear victory in Nicaraguan presidential elections.

Fireworks punctuated the sky, and thousands of supporters whizzed through Managua's streets in pickups and motorcycles shouting ``Long live El Comandante!'' after preliminary results released before dawn Monday gave Ortega a seven-point lead over his closest rival in the five-way race.

Fans waved a sea of Sandinista flags -- some in the traditional red-and-black stripe of Ortega's 1979 revolution that toppled the corrupt Somoza dynasty, others in pink, the campaign color he adopted to show he'd softened his Cold War ideology.

It was only last year that talk of war crimes trials were circulating.

Well, Massachusetts keeps electing John Kerry and Ted Kennedy so I can't blame the Nicaraguans for poor choices.

On the bright side, maybe Carter's plane will be delayed and we won't have to hear any inane words coming out of his piehole this election day.